12022026-TTC-01.qxd 2/12/2026 12:42 AM Page 1 c m y b WANGCHUK FIT, CAN’T BE LET OFF: GOVT TO SC J&K /thetribunechd 13 CHANDIGARH | GURUGRAM | JALANDHAR | BATHINDA | VOL. 146 NO. 42 | 14 PAGES | ~5.00 | REGD. NO. CHD/0006/2024-2026 ESTABLISHED IN 1881 ONLY TRUMP SAYING INDIA WON’T BUY OIL: LAVROV BACK PAGE thursday | 12 february 2026 /thetribunechd www.tribuneindia.com Modi sold India’s interests under US chokehold: Rahul on trade deal LS Chair expunges LoP’s adverse comments | Rijiju rejects charges as ‘bundle of lies’ Day on, US retracts on exporting pulses days later, on February 9, the Tribune News Service White House issued a New Delhi, February 11 detailed factsheet, which In a quiet move within less included commitments that than 24 hours, the White were either not mentioned or House has revised described differits factsheet on the ently in the joint proposed India-US statement. interim trade deal, Now, the White changing key lanHouse has quietly guage and removupdated that facting some refer- TRADE DEAL sheet. One of the ences, including the major changes import of certain pulses, which relates to India’s purchase of had not appeared in the origi- American goods. The earlier nal joint statement issued by factsheet had said that India the two countries. would “commit” to buying On February 6, India and US products worth $500 bilthe US released a joint state- lion. The revised version ment outlining the broad softens this language, saying understanding reached India “intends” to buy these between Prime Minister goods. Another change conNarendra Modi and US Pres- cerns the digital services tax. continued on page 10 ident Donald Trump. A few Ujwal Jalali crude purchases by India?” Rahul said on X accusing the PM of trading Indian interests. He said the future of 140 crore Indians “had been mortgaged” in the deal. “No PM surrenders unless there is pressure and choke- hold. India realises this is an unequal deal, one of compromise,” Rahul said on X after levelling the same charges inside the Lok Sabha where the Chair expunged the adverse comments by a written late evening order. In the Lok Sabha, the allegations triggered sharp reactions from the treasury benches with Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju objecting to Rahul’s language and rebutting his remarks against the PM. Rijiju demanded that the remarks be expunged (which they were later). continued on page 10 Fund-starved HP Govtbuys10SUVs, triggers outrage 6 Vande Mataram stanzas now ‘must’ before anthem Birla flags flaws in Oppn’s notice to avoid its rejection Food bowl states Punjab & Haryana rank third, fourth in agri debt burden SHIMLA: The Himachal Government’s decision to buy new vehicles (Scorpio) for the chairpersons of 10 Agricultural Produce and Marketing Committees has triggered a massive outrage among people. Citing the unprecedented financial crisis the state is going through, people are questioning how so much money could be splurged on luxuries when the government is contemplating to cut back even welfare schemes catering to the vulnerable sections. INSIDE Tribune News Service accessed on the ministry’s website, and even the official spokesperson could not provide one when asked about it. Only a few guidelines, containing the first six paragraphs of the national song, have been circulating on social media without any attribution to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, and without an official order number, date or signature from an authorised government official. However, news agencies continued on page 10 New Delhi, February 11 The Lok Sabha Secretariat has found flaws in the notice submitted by Opposition MPs seeking the removal of Speaker Om Birla, who has asked that the deficiencies be rectified before further action is taken, sources said on Wednesday. The sources in the Secretariat said the notice made four references to events from February 2025, which could have led to its rejection under the rules. However, the Speaker continued on page 10 Pradeep Sharma Shekhar Singh NIRMALA SLAMS LoP ON DATA SELLOUT CHARGE Tribune News Service New Delhi, February 11 Terming the India-US interim trade deal “one-sided”, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Wednesday alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “sold the interests and pride of India”, surrendered energy security and compromised farmers’ interests under a chokehold from Washington. In tweets posted after attacking the PM in the Lok Sabha while participating in the debate on the Union Budget, Rahul said the US would now watch Indian oil purchases. Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman rejected Rahul Gandhi’s charge of India’s data being given to foreign firms. “This is incorrect,” she said in reply to the Budget debate in Parliament on Wednesday. POLICE NOTICE TO PENGUIN ON GEN NARAVANE’S MEMOIR Lok Sabha LoP Rahul Gandhi speaks during the Budget session. PTI BACK PAGE GOVT TO GIVE PRIVILEGE NOTICE AGAINST RAHUL GANDHI BACK PAGE “Who gets to decide from whom does India buy its oil — India or the US? Who gave the US the power to halt beneficial New Delhi, February 11 The Union Home Ministry has, in a notification, directed that all six stanzas of the national song “Vande Mataram”, written by Bankim Chandra Chattopadhyay, shall be sung first when the national song and the national anthem “Jan Gana Man” are to be played together, agency reports said on Wednesday. Incidentally, no copy of the notification could be c m y b Tribune News Service Chandigarh, February 11 Farmers of India’s food bowl — Punjab and Haryana — are among the most indebted in the country. With an outstanding debt of Rs 2.03 lakh and Rs 1.83 lakh per agricultural household, Punjab and Haryana have the dubious distinction of being at No. 3 and 4, respectively. Only Andhra Pradesh (Rs 2.45 lakh) and Kerala (Rs 2.42 lakh) are ahead of Pun- INDIA-US Have ~2.03L & ~1.83L loan per family |Nat’l avg ~74K | AP, Kerala most indebted jab and Haryana in debt per farm household. The country as a whole has a debt of Rs 74,121 per agricultural family, Minister of Agriculture and Farmers’ Welfare Shivraj Chouhan said in a reply to a question by member Kalipada Saren Kherwal in the Lok Sabha. The lowest debt per agricultural family is reported by Nagaland at just Rs 1,750, followed by Meghalaya (Rs 2,237) and Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 3,581). The group of UTs reported a debt of Rs 25,629 per farm family. In the region, Rajasthan reported a debt of Rs 1.13 lakh, Himachal Pradesh Rs 85,825 and Jammu and Kashmir Rs 30,435. States with more than Rs 1 lakh debt included Tamil Nadu (Rs 1.06 lakh), Karnataka continued on page 10 10 dead in rare school shooting in Canada’s British Columbia NEW DELHI: A mass shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School and a nearby residence in the remote town of Tumbler Ridge in British Columbia has left 10 persons dead, including the suspected shooter, and more than 25 others injured, Canadian authorities said Tuesday. School shootings are rare in Canada. Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed shock over the incident. INSIDE Bangladesh gears up for crucial poll today amid tight security DHAKA: Bangladesh will hold its crucial parliamentary elections on Thursday, 18 months after an interim government took charge following the collapse of PM Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year-old regime in massive nationwide protests. The Election Commission has deployed nearly 10 lakh security personnel, the largest-ever in the country’s electoral history. INSIDE Jai Ho! India gets its first ‘musical road’ on Mumbai coastal front MUMBAI: Motorists travelling on the Mumbai coastal corridor will now hear iconic Bollywood song “Jai Ho” when driving over specially installed grooves, making it India’s first ‘musical’ road. When vehicles travel over the grooves on a 500-metre stretch at 70-80 kmph, the friction-generated sound waves produce the melody of ‘Jai Ho’ from film ‘Slumdog Millionaire’, which can be heard inside the vehicle. — PTI